


First love.

by rilnei



Category: Warcraft, WoW - Fandom, World of Warcraft
Genre: First Love, M/M, Warcraft - Freeform, World of Warcraft - Freeform, blood elf, m/m - Freeform, warcraft elf, warcraft ocs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 12:08:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14954397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rilnei/pseuds/rilnei
Summary: Rilnei is a shadow priest. He is still in the preliminary stages of development. Etris is his ex. This is the story of how they met. I posted this without any proof-reading. Please forgive any errors you see. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated :)





	First love.

A few moments before Rilnei had fallen in love, he was kneeling on the ground, the lower half of his robe streaked with dirt as he struggled to tie the knots of his basket. His hatchling was thrashing around nearby; Rilnei's eyes kept jumping between his pet and the basket as he tried to keep his voice controlled while calling out to his hatchling to try and get it to stop squawking. It ignored Rilnei's words though and continued to fly around in a circle, its wings dragging along the dirt and stirring up dust, its hard beak clacking together as it kept emitting shrill noises, gaining the attention of the people nearby, their eyes both curious and annoyed. He was about to abandon his basket all together for the time to deal with his brat of a pet when some one stepped up to it and picked the hatching up. Rilnei started to voice his protest; he couldn't afford for the blood elf to cut himself because of his pet but his words died down as he saw the gloved hands, thick bands of leather wrapped all the way to the arms. His eyes followed up to the blood elf's face, noticing his long, arched brows, the light green glow of his eyes, the thin lips and the square jaw. The taut muscles on the blood elf's neck stretched and moved as he deftly handled the hatchling, one hand gripping the neck while the other scratched it along its bottom beak. The shrill cries had suddenly died down to quiet chirps and Rilnei marvelled at how quick it had all gone down. The blood elf's eyes were trained on the hatchling, his cropped hair swaying gently along with the soft breeze that waved through the village square. He looked up to Rilnei and smiled, his eyes going small as he flashed his teeth.  
"He needed attention it seemed," he said through his open-mouthed smile.  
Rilnei felt his breath hitch in his throat. He hadn't expected to hear a voice so high and light. He nodded to his hatchling, "its either the brat or selling the last of my wares," he replied back.  
The blood elf hummed back at him as he brought the hatchling a little closer to his face, his fingers working along the soft wings, the setting sunlight catching the iridescent red and shining dully. 

The moment Rilnei fell in love, he had been lost in thought, staring at the blood elf who caressed the only true possession he was left with. Rilnei's eyes jumped all over him, never resting at one place because he felt the sudden need to remember everything about that moment. He felt glowing eyes looking at him as he heard a single word.  
"Etris."  
Rilnei gazed back, his eyes moving to Etris's lips then slowly dragging to his eyes.  
"Rilnei," he said in return to that.  
Etris nodded in silence and looked away.  
"He needs training if you want to make something of it," he said nodding his head to the hatchling who was still chirping quietly in his hands.  
"He is a companion, I do not wish to train him; for now, at least," Rilnei provided. He had always wanted to keep the hatchling to stave off the worst of his loneliness. Losing your parents was an awful endeavour it seemed. One that howled within himself, one that gnawed a hole into his soul and left it raw and bleeding. The hatchling helped an awful lot with that and he was grateful for it no matter how draining it got sometimes.  
Etris held the hatchling towards Rilnei to return it to its owner. He then reached into his brown satchel, one that was marked with scratches and rips that had been mended repeatedly, haphazardly and brought out a wrapped package. He briefly glanced up and flashed a quick smile, the corner of his lips staying upturned as he went back to the task at hand of unwrapping the package. He cupped his hand as he removed the final layer of wrapping and picked up a small square of smoked meat and held it up towards the hatchling's direction.  
Rilnei didn't let go of his pet but rather held it up towards the offered meat and let it squirm and crane itself to bite at it with its beak. The hatchling took the meat in its mouth and swallowed it whole, its body going still for a second before it started writhing, its barely formed wings flapping wildly. Etris let out a sudden laugh, his hand reaching for another square of meat for the hatchling. Rilnei stared unabashedly while Etris busied himself with feeding it. His ears rang at the sound of Etris' laughter and he felt his stomach tighten and the points of his ears go red. He wanted to hear it again and again; hear it ringing around him, echoing back and surrounding him.  
"Have you been starving him? He's ravenous," Etris asked in good humour. Rilnei blushed a little at that. He had fed the hatchling, in fact, a few moments before he headed out to come to the village square. He had fell into the nasty habit of conditioning it with food and now it had grown petulant. It knew Rilnei's weakness and used it against him always.  
"I had fed him not long ago. Its spoiled rotten is all. Always fussing and demanding to be fed," Relnei replied back. "Although, I have been trying to regulate its habits. I have made some improvements," he added hastily to dilute any sense of ignorance that Etris might form because of Rilnei's initial reply.  
Etris' reply to that was to smile slightly and look down at his basket.  
"What is in that?" he asked sounding genuinely curious.  
Rilnei had all but forgotten about the task he had been trying to do all along. He let go of his hatchling and watched it for a second as it fluttered its wings to steady itself. The fish inside gleamed a dull silver as he bent down to finally tie the knot to close the basket.  
"I fish locally. I take my catch to local villages and sell them," he replied as he heaved the basket and rested it on his hip.  
Etris watched Rilnei's hands wrapped around the basket. Rilnei watched Etris' lips twitch as his tongue peaked out and run over the slightly parched skin.  
"You cook too?" Etris asked.  
"You are not from around here," Rilnei replied, ignoring the question. He was well known around here. Most people knew of him if not about him. He had been trekking along the roads, his basket on his hips and lately his hatchling chirping around his knees, for years since his parents' death. People in most villages he frequented saw him enough to greet him by his name.  
"I was dispatched from Silvermoon for business," Etris stated matter-of-factly. Rilnei was eager to know what it was but Etris' tone has been dismissing and he was not keen on irritating Etris with his pestering.  
"Come, lets walk," Etris said next and walked a few paces before turning back to Rilnei, looking at him expectantly.  
They walked along the road that lead out of the village square, Etris’ short figure bumping into Rilnei’s arm occasionally.  
“I sometimes work to train dragonhawks in the city,” Etris started after a few moments of silence.  
“They are beasts to behold. The smaller ones just learning to heed your call and the bigger ones sweeping down in speeds fast enough to slice limbs with their talons. You are always at risk of being slashed if the dragonhawk has not being trained properly.” He stopped suddenly and Rilnei came to a halt beside him too. Etris started to undo the thick layers of leather from his right arm, his fingers swift and working deftly. He stopped unwrapping when he reached his elbow and turned to show Rilnei his arm. Along the pale muscle of Etris’ arm was a wide gash, the skin around the cut curling away. Even though it was months old, the slash resembled a deep ravine, a cut deep enough for it to be scarred forever. Rilnei held his breath as realization of what Etris was showing dawned on him. He lifted his hand to Etris’ arm and gently ran his fingers over the cut. The warmth of Etris’ skin seeped into his skin and he felt the muscles twitch slightly as he stilled his fingers. He moved his gaze and caught Etris looking up at him intently.  
“The pain, it must have been unbearable,” Rilnei said in a low voice.  
“I managed,” Etris replied casually, his voice wavering slightly towards the end. He suddenly resumed walking causing Rilnei to trail behind him.  
“I once pierced my finger through the hook once, if that means anything to you,” Rilnei spoke up, not wanting the conversation to whither out.  
“Oh?” Came Etris’ reply, his voice tingled with curiosity.  
“I had too much to drink one day before I headed out to fish and hooked my finger instead of the bait. I didn’t realize till I tried casting the line. The sharp pain brought me to my senses,” Rilnei offered as an embarrassed explanation.  
Etris turned to look at him and grinned.  
“Looks like we are both men with battle scars,” he joked, “yours bigger than mine,” as laugher bubbled out of him.  
Rilnei paused for a second to re-adjust the basket he had been holding on his hip.  
“Let me try,” Etris said eagerly and Rilnei passed off it to him. He massaged the slightly sore muscles of his arm while he watched Etris struggle with the basket. He jutted out his hip, trying his best to provide some sort of support to keep the basket perched but his arms were too short and didn’t cover nearly enough around the basket to provide any real support. Etris apparently was happy with how it sat and continued to walk down the road. It took less than a few steps for Etris to lose his grip and the basket dropped to the ground with a loud thud, its contents spilling out despite the lid and the pungent scent of fish filled the air. Rilnei doubled over with laughter as Etris looked at him, guiltily at first which blended into an embarrassed smile. Etris’ breeches were splattered with water and he stood there, looking down at the mess he made.  
Rilnei walked up to him, careful not to step on any of the fish.  
“Come, there is water nearby,” he said and walked off the path, not waiting to see if Etris followed or not.  
Once they reached the water, Etris hurried to the shore and knelt, his fingers making quick work to unwrap the leather around his arms. He splashed his face with water and cupped more of it and rubbed it along his arms and the back of his neck. Rilnei lowered himself beside Etris and stretched his legs out into the water, the wetness of his breeches not bothering him at all. His eyes were trained on Etris, watching the bands of muscles and bones working in rhythm as Etris continued to clean himself the best he could. Etris glanced at him when he felt Rilnei’s eyes on him and he stopped his attempt to clean himself. He scooted closer to Rilnei, his head resting slightly on Rilnei’s arm. They stayed like that for a time that felt like hours to Rilnei.  
“You have a good life,” Etris said suddenly.  
Rilnei looked down at the top of Etris’ head.  
“It is not one without any struggles if that is what you mean,” Rilnei replied.  
Etris didn’t say anything back in return. He straightened himself and twisted his torso to face Rilnei. He brought his left hand up and his fingers wrapped around Rilnei’s right arm. They dug into his muscles, the soft pads of his fingers rubbing the soreness away. Etris squeezed his shoulder and Rilnei let out a soft sigh as his eyes fluttered and closed. The difference was day and night; Rilnei always rubbed his own shoulders, alternating between each side after particularly long days. He never had anyone do this for him. He felt the dull ache crawling away. The bone deep tiredness he always carried was finally being soothed and Rilnei felt his lips twitch. It has been too long since he felt some one’s touch. He opened his eyes and looked at Etris and found him staring back at him. His throat wobbled with words he wanted to say but everything that pushed to his mind was too forward, too soon and too rash. So, he kept his mouth shut, where unspoken words burned his tongue and let himself be healed for a few moments.  
Etris stopped suddenly and stood up. He bent down to pick one of the long leather straps and started wrapping it along one arm. Rilnei watched him do it silently. When Etris came close to finishing, Rilnei picked up the other strap and lifted it to Etris who took it with a small smile. Rilnei stood up while Etris continued wrapping the other arm. He was several inches shorter than Rilnei but he was more sturdy. His thighs were thick and his torso well packed. His fingers were on the shorter side with thick bones and prominent knuckles. Rilnei wanted to be touched again so bad. Etris looked up after he was done, and they gazed at it each other for a few seconds before Etris spoke up. “I will see you around.” His voice unlocked something in Rilnei and he compelled himself to stay quiet. All he did was nod back in reply and Etris turned back and strode towards the direction of the road.  
Rilnei stood for a while longer as listening to the birds around him, feeling the still soft talons of his hatching along his calves before he remembered his basket that was lying on the road. He made his way towards the it, the urgency hitting him harder the closer he got to the road. When he got to it, he found the basket sitting on the grass beside the road, the lid tied back. There were no signs of any spilled fish on the road either. He pulled the string and lifted the lid to see the now bruised fish back inside. Rilnei felt something in him unfurl and consume him. 

A night after Rilnei fell in love, he felt himself coming undone. His shoulders didn't seem too tightly wound anymore and his chest didn’t burn when he was alone with his thoughts. He walked along the roads at night thinking of short, soft hair rippling gently along the breeze. He thought of moving chords of muscles and shifting bones as he sat beside the banks of the water and cast his bobber. He saw arched brows and light glowing eyes and thin lips turned into a smile every time he closed his eyes. He felt warm fingers along his body, caressing him as he laid down and prepared for the battle for sleep to begin. He heard a high voice calling his name as he closed his eyes and heard a light laugh ringing in his head as he felt sleep's first tug. He dreamed of wide palms, soft skin, and a wet mouth when he slept. He smelled the rich of scent of leather and faint musk of a male body during the day. He thought of thick fingers running through his long hair as he hunted for his hatchling. He heard words of love, life and laughter whispered to him when he sat under the shades of the looming trees. He thought of a full stomach, a mended heart and painless breaths as he felt the sun warm his back while he walked to sell what he had caught. He felt longing, longing and more longing claw inside him as he stood with his catch in a different village on a different day. He had been feeling his sorrows in silence for so long; he hadn't realized just how much the deep ache inside him hurt all the time until he felt it loosen. The thorn named loss didn't sting as much and he felt years worth isolation evaporating from his chest.  
So, he waited and put his faith on that last promise; after all, he had been lucky enough for the first chance meeting and he truly came to believe that it would happen again.

**Author's Note:**

> Rilnei is a shadow priest. He is still in the preliminary stages of development. Etris is his ex. This is the story of how they met. I posted this without any proof-reading. Please forgive any errors you see. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated :)


End file.
